A Formal Affair
by Enchantable
Summary: A series of oneshots about Yoruichi and Urahara before they became the heroes and mentors of the Bleach-verse.
1. The First Ball

**While I struggle with epic, large-scale battles for my two big stories its oneshot time again! Having done them for ShinjiHiyori, Ulquihime, Ichiruki, HitsuHina and GinRan I decided that it was time to add another favorite couple of mine, UraharaYoruichi. So here you go! This is way WAY back when they were younger.**

**As always I'm open to continuing. **

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Kisuke Urahara made his way down the pristine halls of the Shihon Manor, his tabi gliding noiselessly on the specially polished floor. There was going to be a party that night and he was expected to attend it. Rich people did parties like no-one else and Nobles took it to a whole other level. A quick glance downward confirmed that he could, in fact, see his reflection through the floor. Wide, too innocent grey eyes. Shaggy, too long blond hair that always got in his eyes. Features that were slowly changing, as Tessai put it, from boy to man. He didn't look like a Noble, especially not at the moment.

"Watcha doin?" came the question as suddenly his reflection was joined by another one. One with gold eyes, chocolate skin and a cascade of purple hair.

"These floors are really shiny," he said looking up.

"I know, you can see up girl's skirts if you want."

He had gotten used to Yoruichi's strange comments in his few years living at the Shihon Manor. In the beginning he had called her all kinds of titles until she pointed out they were the same age and when he did that everyone thought that he was addressing someone important and got really disappointed when she showed up. He pointed out that she was a Princess and should be addressed with respect. She pointed out that just because she was a girl it didn't mean she couldn't--and wouldn't--kick his ass. He had quickly caught on that she was to be addressed as Yoruichi just as he was Kisuke and that was that.

"Why'd I wanna see up girl's skirts?" he demanded.

"I dunno," she shrugged, "I'm just saying you can and these balls get boring."

Urahara gulped. This was, in fact, his first ball. He was always too young to go before or too new to the family. But they had said he was old enough now and so he had been measured and scrubbed and poked and prodded until he felt far more like a science experiment than anything else. Yoruichi went to the balls because she had to but she always left early. Not this time. This time they would be going for real. They were both in their teens by Soul Society standards. Old enough to begin to learn to fight and train for the Shinigami Academy. Old enough to do all sorts of things. Old enough to attend balls.

"You've never been to one for the whole thing either!" Urahara cried.

"Of course not silly," Yoruichi said rolling her eyes, "but now that you're going too we can keep each other company!"

"I guess," he said, "so what's your mom making you wear this time?"

"You don't want to know," Yoruichi said crossing her arm with a huff, "any longer and I swear my hair would have windchimes in it if she thought it'd look nice," Urahara had to fight to keep from laughing, "well what do you have to wear huh?" Yoruichi demanded glaring at him.

"Green," he said, "your mom said it looked nice on me."

"Green?" Yoruichi's golden eyes narrowed, "green? I'm stuck in more shades of silk than I knew _existed_ and all you have to wear is green?!" Urahara grinned.

Yoruichi felt her insides go into knots. She had always really liked Kisuke Urahara, from the moment her father had brought the orphan home with him. He had actually come along with Tessai who was a Kido prodigy. Kido prodigies were very rare and when her father had tried to taken him he had wound up with Kisuke as well. Yoruichi liked Tessai too but he was always busy with training and such that she never really saw him. Initially she hadn't seen much of Kisuke either since the boy had been so terrified of getting something in his new surroundings dirty that he hadn't come out of his room for the first week he had been there. One day instead of letting the servants do it she had been the one to come and bring him food. Slowly she had gotten him out of the room and into the daily life of a Shihon.

But lately she had been the one who felt like running into a room. She was lucky it was hard to tell when she blushed because she felt as though her cheeks were on fire. Usually it only happened when he smiled or their hands touched not during fighting. It was like butterflies had taken up residence in her stomach. She knew her mother would just dismiss those feelings as foolishness. Nobles did _not_ let their emotions rule them. She knew that was being beaten into her, even if she didn't really believe it herself.

"Are you okay?" Urahara asked, his voice soft and concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said smiling, "I gotta go get ready for the ball."

"But its hours away!"

"I know," Yoruichi said turning to go, "I'm already late to get ready."

She bounded off down the hall. Urahara watched her go, something twisting inside of him. He didn't like it when Yoruichi's eyes went sad and thoughtful, like the weight of the world was resting on her shoulders. He liked her smiling or teasing him, he liked her happy. But more than that, he wanted to be the one who made her happy. Even if she hadn't saved him, which she had, he still wanted to save her in return. But, of course, some Prince would do that. No matter what she said she was still a Princess and he was still the orphan that came with the Kido prodigy. Frowning slightly he turned and walked off to get ready on his own.

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After having been poked, pulled and prodded for hours Lady Shihon finally pronounced that her daughter looked, for once, like a Princess. All Yoruichi felt was nerves. The Kimono she wore was not quite as bad as she had thought it to be. All the colors was a bit of an overstatement. It was many colors they were just different shades of orange. Deep orange, reddish orange--she looked like a fall leaf. A pretty one, her mother assured her, but a leaf none the less. Tugging at the obi around her waist, Yoruichi tried to find a way to move under all the silk encasing her frame.

She heard someone inhale behind her and turned to see Kisuke standing there.

She froze as well. He too was wearing silk, as he would have too of course, but whereas hers was orange his was a very deep green. His hair had been pushed back to reveal his features. He looked older, in a very good way. Yoruichi was about to bite her lip but she remembered the paint on it and stopped herself, settling instead for burying her hands in the folds of her kimono and clenching her fists until her short nails made marks in the flesh of her palms.

Across the hall Urahara was having his own troubles. When Yoruichi described her kimono he imagined it to be some candy colored nightmare that he'd have to lie and say she looked nice in until she called him out and they collapsed in a fit of giggles together. But it wasn't. The kimono was gorgeous but it paled in comparison to the woman who wore it. Yoruichi didn't look like the playmate he usually joked with, she looked like a grown up, like a Princess. And she looked very nervous as well.

Usually when one of them went as quiet as they both were one would break the silence but this time they both ducked their heads and looked the other way, words getting stuck in the back of their throat. Urahara shuffled off, feeling like more of a disgrace than he ever had in his entire life and Yoruichi turned back to the sliver of the ballroom she was watching through the door, trying to fight back tears and spare her makeup. She didn't want to be doing this alone. She wanted Kisuke by her side and he just shuffled off with his head ducked. Before she could turn around a find him someone called her name and she had to go.

The ballroom was spectacular but Urahara had no sight for it. Even Tessai was there decked out in some horrible eccentric robe that he only got away with because he was good at Kido and somehow that gave him a free pass to wear whatever the hell he wanted. He was even attempting--and badly--to grown in a mustache because he thought it would make him look older.

"You look like someone killed your pet," Tessai said bluntly.

"I'm fine," Urahara muttered.

"So how's the Shihon life treating you?" Tessai asked changing the conversation quickly.

"Its--" he sighed, "its alright."

"Alright? Kisuke you're living in a Noble house," his friend pointed out, "there's gotta be something pretty bad for you not to say something better than that."

"Its not bad," Urahara sighed, "its just--" he trailed off, "its complicated."

"Complicated," Tessai repeated, "well it can't be anything a little Kido can't fix."

"No! no way are you doing that stuff on me."

"You're gonna become a Shinigami, you're gonna learn Kido."

"The last time you did Kido on me I was bald," Urahara crossed his arms, "my head looked like your upper lip does for months!"

"There's nothing wrong with my upper lip," Tessai pouted, his finger stroking the expanse of his mustache almost defensively, "well if its not kido-fixable than what's wrong? You're still coming out of that room right?"

"Of course!"

"Well then I'm missing the problem."

"The problem? The problem is--" he caught a glimpse of orange out of his eyes, "is--" she was laughing at something someone else was saying, but not the real kind of laugh he knew she did but a polite kind of laugh that had her mouth covered by her fan, "is--"

"You've got a crush," Tessai said with a grin looking between the suddenly idiotic Urhara and Yoruichi.

He had always been the observant type and despite Kisuke's very obvious reaction he also caught sight of Yoruichi's not so obvious one. Her grip on her fan was white knuckled, more like she was going to use to till someone than fan herself. Her other hand was fisted in the folds of her robes. And she seemed far more interested with glancing out of the corner of her eyes at Kisuke than she did at paying attention to the young man speaking to her. He saw his words sink into to Kisuke's poor confused mind because the blond man's eyes suddenly went wide and he seemed to choke on nothing at all.

"A _what_? On her? No, no way."

"Oh don't be so dramatic," Tessai said, "its okay for you to like her. Hell I bet half the men in this ballroom like her," Kisuke's eyes swept the room, narrowed slightly as though they could destroy the affections anyone else held for the Shihon Princess, "you'd better move fast Kisuke."

"I'm not moving at all," he said crossing his arms.

"Then you're an idiot," Tessai said, "she doesn't care about ranks and you'd better make a move before her parents start to care otherwise."

"But--" he began.

"'But'," Tessai mimicked with a grin, "but she isn't looking at anyone else out of the corner of her eye is she?"

Urahara glanced over at the same instant Yoruichi glanced and their eyes met. It was more obvious on Urahara's face but both turned a rather spectacular shade of red and looked away. Before he could stop himself Tessai broke down laughing. It was nauseatingly cute to see them tiptoeing around each other like this. Usually they just had a bit of awkwardness but now they couldn't even look at each other.

"My advice," Tessai said wiping a tear of mirth away, "go tell her she looks pretty."

"I can't do that," Urahara said.

"Thats like when you said you couldn't come with me to the Shihon Manor," he said with a sigh, "and here you are."

"No its like when you said you were growing that _thing_ on your lip."

"Oh just you wait, its going to be spectacular," Tessai said with a grin, "just like Yoruichi's face when you tell her she looks pretty."

Yoruichi didn't really know who she was talking too, just that she was wondering what the fastest way to get to Tessai and Kisuke was. Her current plan was to stab the guy with her fan and make a break for it. Her mother was watching the exchange with a smile, judging his positive reaction and Yoruichi's barely contained negative one.

"Dear," her mother said, "perhaps you should get some air."

"I"m fine mother," Yoruichi replied.

"You look as though you are going to murder someone with your fan," she pointed out.

"So?" Yoruichi raised her chin, "its not like any of these men matter."

"My dear, these are all potential husbands for you."

Yoruichi's eyes widened as she looked around the room, suddenly realizing that there were many guests who were about her age, male and Noble. She had just thought they were there for--she hadn't thought why they were there. Just that they were. But looking at her mother's eyes she realized they were there for _her_, for what she represented. For the power and the wealth marrying into the Shihon Clan would bring. She realized they were all stealing glances at her like kids stealing sweets out of a candy jar. She hadn't realized because her eyes kept darting to Kisuke. Kisuke who kept his head down. Kisuke who wasn't Noble or rich, who wouldn't marry her for what she represented.

"I-I think I'm going to get some air," she said with a weak smile at her mother.

"Good," she said, "hurry back."

Yoruichi bobbed her head, trying to fight the burning in her eyes as she hurried out of the ballroom and into the surrounding garden. The world was already blurring around the edges when she left but once she got outside and the cool air hit her eyes the burning got even worse. Her throat tightened and before she could stop herself she bit her lip, ignoring the taste of paint that filled her mouth. Her lower lip trembled regardless as she fought valiantly against her tears. She hurried over to a low bench out of the view of the partygoers and sat down hard, burying her face in her hands. She couldn't breath in all the silk, not when her 'potential husbands' were waiting for her to return. She felt like a doll. Worse, she felt like a fool.

"Yoruichi?"

Through her blurry eyes she saw dark green. With a muffled sob she launched herself at Kisuke, burying her face in his chest. Urahara had followed her once he saw her face start to show the tell tale signs of her tears. He had found her on a bench in the garden and suddenly went from not being able to talk properly around her to holding her in his arms. Her shoulders shook as she sobbed against him. He wrapped his arms tightly around her, trying to avoid the knot of her obi. She seemed near hysterical and worry surged through him.

"What happened?" he demanded looking at the top of her head, "why are you crying?"

"S-she brought them for me!" Yoruichi wailed, "a-all the men," she took a gasp, "they're here for m-me."

Urahara tightened his grip on her, hating it when Tessai was right. After the shoulder of his kimono was soaked thoroughly in tears and smudged face paint Yoruichi's sobs subsided and she was simply standing there with her head to his chest.

"Would it be so bad to marry one of them?" Urahara asked after a moment. Yoruichi nodded, "but you're--"

"A Princess?"

"Well, yeah."

"A Princess who represents money and power and all those things," she said, "a nameless, faceless Princess who all those men just see as means to an end. They call me Princess too," he frowned, not sure where she was going with this, "but they don't make me laugh or fight with me or do anything fun."

"But they can talk to you when you wear stuff like that," he said motioning to the silk she wore.

"They see women in stuff like this all the time," she said.

"They can't be as pretty as you," he blurted out, his cheeks burning. She buried her face in his chest to hide her own heated cheeks.

"Thank you," she muttered.

"Huh?"

"You said I was pretty," she said drawing back slightly to look at him, "I'm saying thank you."

"I--uh--you're welcome?" he said, though it sounded more like a question than a statement. Yoruichi smiled before Urahara covered his hand with his sleeve and reached out, wiping her cheek, "you've still got paint on."

"Oh," she said, "is it off?"

"Almost," he said concentrating before he got the paint all off her face, "done," he said, the sleeve slipping off his hand, bringing her fingertips into contact with the velvety skin of her cheek, making his insides twist, "sorry," he said withdrawing his hand quickly.

"Thats-thats okay," she muttered looking down momentarily until she remembered the faceless men inside and looked at poor, slightly uncomfortable Kisuke who came after her anyway, "thank you for coming after me."

"Its okay," he said with a smile that sent her stomach into knots, "I mean, I'd always come after you."

"I know," she said, "Kisuke?" she looked at him, "can I ask you something?"

"What?" he asked looking at her gold eyes.

"Would you," she licked her dry lips, "would you kiss me?"

"What?!" he gasped, his eyes wide. Yoruichi felt shame well in her and quickly averted her eyes.

"Nevermind."

"Wait!" he grabbed her before she could run, "why do you--why could you possibly want _me_ to kiss you?"

"Because," she said, "because every time you smile or you touch me, I get butterflies in my stomach and I don't like it and I thought that if you kissed me we could just--" she frowned

"Just go back to being friends?" he tried. She shrugged, not sure if that was what she meant, "well you're not the only one who gets the butterflies," he said. Her head flew up, her eyes widening, "why do you think I couldn't talk to you when you showed up in _that_?" he demanded motioning to her kimono.

"O-oh," she said realization dawning on her, "so," she looked up at him, "will you kiss me?"

"Yoruichi I--" he began to protest until he thought of all those nameless, faceless men. He may not have been a Prince but he knew that if he let her go back into the party she'd wind up going off with one of them and he couldn't bare the thought of that, "I--" he fumbled for the words that weren't coming.

So instead of waiting for them to come he closed his eyes, ducked his head and pressed his lips tightly against hers.

She tasted like the remnants of face paint and the fruity drinks that had been passed around. It was the first time he had really kissed anyone and for a moment he thought Yoruichi was either going to faint or smack him. But instead she softened under the kiss before tentatively returning it. His arms wrapped around her once again as her own hands tangled in his slicked hair, messing it up. Finally after what seemed like a dizzying lifetime Urahara pulled back as Yoruichi rested her forehead against his own.

"Well I can't marry anyone else now," she breathed. He grinned, "do we have to go back inside."

"Yeah," he said regretfully looking back at the party but knowing they'd both get in a lot of trouble.

"Stay with me?" she asked taking his hand as they walked back.

"Always," he promised.


	2. Cats and Winter Mornings

**Okay so I was watching Bleach and there was the episode where Ichigo sees Yoruichi for the first time and has the freak out and she tells him that people's reaction is "always amusing". **

**And whose more amusing than Kisuke?**

**So here you go! Last thing is I have a poll for the updates for the shorter stories so vote for which you want updated.**

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The servants at the Shihon Manor were still making their beds with the thick blankets thanks to the chill that hung in the spring air. In the early morning Kisuke Urahara was still buried under the the layers of down, the edges of his messy golden hair the only indication that there was a person in the bed.

Outside his door Yoruichi nudged it open and slipped inside, sliding it closed behind her. To say Kisuke's room was chaos was a massive understatement. Science experiments, books, papers and other bits of stuff all fought for space on his overcrowded shelves. It was not as if his room was small but he just had so _much_ stuff. The only reason the floor was even mildly clean was thanks to the maids who Yoruichi knew drew lots to see who cleaned his room after one experiment had gone off and singed a maid's eyebrows.

Picking her way across the floor, careful just in case, Yoruichi hopped onto the bed. It shifted under the added weight but Kisuke had always slept like a rock and the only response she got out of him was a snort as he rolled onto his other side, the blanket slipping down slightly. Yoruichi peered down at his features. Kisuke never looked peaceful, even when he was asleep thoughts ran through his head. Still he was handsome with his messy blond hair and his features that looked more and more adult with every passing day. She nudged the blankets down and crawled into bed with him, laying her head on the pillow so that they were level as she continued to watch him with her gold eyes.

As if he knew he was being watched Kisuke grumbled something under his breath before he slowly opened his eyes and looked at her. Confusion registered in his eyes as one of his hands came up to rub at his eyes, as if he was confused at what was going on. Yoruichi kept her expression neutral instead of bursting out into laughter. Sleepily Kisuke pushed himself up and rubbed his eyes again, as though expecting the answers to lay in the room somewhere. Yawning he looked around before shrugging.

"Must be one of the maids" he muttered looking at her, "don't hog the blankets," he muttered flopping back down and tugging the blankets up to his chin once again.

Yoruichi tried and failed to contain the chuckle that came from her lips. Kisuke's eyes flew open as Yoruichi broke down laughing hysterically at his sleepy-confused expression.

"What the--"

Deciding she had toyed with him long enough Yoruichi concentrated for a moment and dropped the cat form she was in, reverting back to the dark skinned, golden eyed, purple haired, very naked woman she was.

"Holy crap!!" Kisuke was on his feet in a minuet, flying off the bed like she had electrocuted him. His feet got tangled in the long legs of his pajama bottoms and he fell onto the ground, "Yoruichi?! Weren't you just a cat?! Why are you in my bed?! You're naked, oh my God, why the hell are you naked?!"

Yoruichi was laughing so hard it hurt. Poor Kisuke looked like he was seconds away from having a heart attack. Nimbly she jumped from the bed and crouched down to help him up but Kisuke had squeezed his shut the minuet she threw off the blankets. Still laughing she grabbed him by the back of his t-shirt and hauled him to his feet. The second he was upright he jumped away, refusing to look at her.

"Jeez, Kisuke, you don't have to be such a prude," she pointed out, "its just me."

"Yeah, its you _naked_!"

"So?"

"So? So?! So you're _naked_!"

"Well obviously," she rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest, "I can't very well be dressed when I'm a cat. Cats don't wear cloths."

"You were a cat--that's right! You were a cat," he turned around, remembered she was naked and then turned around again, "put some cloths on!"

Rolling her eyes she went over to his wardrobe and yanked out an overly large shirt. When she pulled it on it fell to mid-thigh.

"Alright all the important parts are covered," she said, "you can look."

Kisuke turned around, satisfied that she was covered. Trying not to enjoy the sight of her in his shirt too much, he focused instead on the important part.

"When did you become a cat?"

"Oh I've been practicing for a while," she said, "it'll come in handy when I'm Head of the Special Forces huh?" she added with a grin, "did you get hurt when you fell?"

"Just my elbow--and I wouldn't have fallen if you'd warned me that you were going to be first a cat and then naked in my bed!" she pouted, "what?" he asked slowly.

"I thought you liked kissing me," she said.

Kisuke gulped. It was true, he did enjoy kissing her and she did as well. After their first tentative kiss at the ball where her parents had introduced her to her first taste of an arranged marriage, they had kissed a lot. She still blushed when he smiled and he still got butterflies around her sometimes but at least now they knew _why_ that happened. Tessai loved to tease them about their 'young love' even though he was hardly older and Kukaku Shiba had already told him that she didn't know what Yoruichi saw in him but that she'd gladly get her big brother to beat him up--or she'd blow him up herself. Yoruichi had told her that she was more than capable of taking care of herself but Kukaku had called her an idiot and pointed out that she had two brothers so she knew all about the 'evils of men'. Yoruichi told her that Kisuke was not 'evil', not like her brothers anyway. Once the two girls had been separated everything was alright.

Despite the obvious enjoyment he got from kissing her there was a difference between kissing Yoruichi and being with her when she was naked except for an oversized shirt of his. Of course moments before she had been naked beside him in bed without the shirt. For the first time he realized that his room outside the bed was actually cool. Yoruichi seemed to realize it to as she wrapped her arms around herself. Catching his eye her lips curved into a smile.

"Come on," he said walking back over to the bed, "its cold out here."

"Haven't invented something to keep us warm?" she teased.

"I'll get right on that," he said with a grin as she got into one side of the bed and he got onto the other, "still cold?"

Without any kind of hesitation Yoruichi snuggled against his chest, her head fitting perfectly under his chin. Her feet tangled around in his as she wrapped her arms around his torso. He swallowed feeling her body press against his. One of her hands came up and tangled through his hair. After a moment Kisuke's arms wrapped around her. Yoruichi smiled as she titled her head up and looked at him. He couldn't help but smile looking down at her.

"Your reaction was priceless," she told him, her voice soft.

"I'm a funny kind of guy," he said as she smiled up at him.

"Its warmer here," she said with a happy sigh. He smiled and kissed the top of her head as she snuggled back into the crook of his shoulder, "its nice."

"Get some sleep," he said.

"Don't you want to know about how I became a cat?" she asked, though her eyes were closed and her breathing was evening out.

"You can tell me later," he said

Yoruichi gave a sleepy nod, her hair tickling his jaw before she fell asleep in his embrace, Kisuke on her heels. No matter how funny Kisuke's reaction to Yoruichi's cat form was it paled in comparison to the maid who came in to clean and discovered Yoruichi and Kisuke asleep in each other's embrace.


	3. Happy Holidays

**There's no snow here! And when there's gonna be snow I'll be surrounded by sand so here's my oneshot.**

**Now just a preface. I thought that when Yrouichi showed up at Urahara's he was way to happy to see her if she just left for so long. So I thought maybe they had a reunion before that one. **

**So here you go.**

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From the window in his hotel room Kisuke Urahara watched snow fall gently down to cover the street below him.

Yoruichi had gone a while ago, saying she needed 'time'. How much time, Urahara wasn't sure but he knew that when she was gone it was always too long. Unable to sit still he had taken off. He did not particularly care where he wound up, just that it was nowhere that reminded him of her. He wasn't sure how long he had been traveling, just that he had stopped when he was told that everything was booked for the next day already. He was not known for making plans in advance. Nor for thinking things through. But he was good at thinking on his feet and so he had found a hotel and settled down before the snow.

Down below him he watched couples and families running around the snow covered street with brightly wrapped packages. WIth a dull ache he realized it was Christmas Eve. Tessai was back in Japan, he didn't know where Yoruichi was. Shinji and the others had long ago gone off somewhere as well. Unable to just sit there Urahara pulled on a coat and walked out of the hotel and into the snow covered streets. Maybe he could walk long enough that he would be far too exhausted to remember how miserable his life was at the moment. He pulled his hat low on his head and walked faster.

The people and packages began to blur together until he found himself in another part of town. Spreading before him, covered in frost, was a public garden. Instead of the bright colors he knew usually decorated places such as this, it was covered in white. In the center of the place was a large pond, already frozen over. He could see a handful of families without skates even making their way across the frost, their laughter ringing out across the place. Spanning the pond was a bridge. The large globes of light on it cast patches of light on the ice of the pond under it. A little girl in a pink jacket was using it as a spotlight for her ice skating routine while her brother looked on, behaving only because it was christmas. Despite his mood Urahara smiled faintly at the simply joy that seemed to be present in the place.

A few couples were milling around the edges of the pond. Leaning against a tree, under the shelter of its branches, despite the cold he saw a man sketching whatever caught his fancy. Two boys streaked past him and a moment later he watched a little girl pick up a handful of snow and lob it at them, hitting one square on. The three collapsed in a fit of giggles as their parents came to them with promises of hot chocolate and Santa in the morning. As she picked up her daughter the woman caught his eye. Her lips curved into a smile as she whispered something to the girl who grinned and nodded eagerly.

"Merry Christmas!" she called, waving a mittened hand.

Urahara had to smile at that as he raised his hand and returned the wave. With nothing better to do he walked towards the bridge, his hands tucked into the pockets of his dark green coat. Around his neck he wore a bright wool scarf but he couldn't help but think of the Kuchiki's. The Kuchiki's meant the Shihon's and the Shihon's meant Yoruichi. Frustrated with himself he walked over to the edge of the bridge and leaned against the narrow rail. In the center of the frozen pond he could see a small island. He imagined in spring ducks lived there. At the moment the only thing there were two people laughing as they slipped around the side of the island, their shoes gliding across the smooth surface of the pond.

Out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of someone coming up the steps that lead to the bridge. He could have sworn they were wearing orange, but he could have been mistaken. Besides, orange didn't necessarily mean Yoruichi. Though he would probably always think of her in orange from the ball where they had shared their first kiss and she would probably always think of him in dark green for the same reason. He turned back to the pond with a shake of his head. He knew he missed her but still, it had been a long time and it wasn't as though he had any claim to her.

Still he was a warrior and he felt eyes on the back of his neck. He almost didn't turn around. He almost didn't _want_ to turn around. If it was her, he wasn't sure what he'd do. If it was her--if it was her he was equally unsure. She had just left. when she said she needed time it was not with her words. It was with a note that was left on his pillow when he woke up one morning fully expecting her to be there. Whoever was looking at him was obviously not going away. Apparently he was taking too long because the confirmation of the person's identity came when she spoke his name in a voice he had almost forgotten.

"Hello Kisuke."

The words sent physical pain down his spine. No-one called him Kisuke anymore. No-one save for her. Slowly he turned around. Her hair was tucked under her hat but he had a feeling that it was longer than when he had last seen her. Her gold eyes were unusually somber but still beautiful set in the dusky gold of her skin. Her coat was the same dark orange as the kimono she had worn when she was a Princess. Before she had left that all behind.

Before she had left _him_ behind.

He tried to say something, to say _anything_ but the words seemed to catch in his throat. despite knowing that helping the others was right, there was very little to say why Yoruichi had stood by him in spite of it costing her everything. The only person who seemed more confused by what she had done was Yoruichi herself. Urahara remembered one particularly drunk night Tessai had slurred that he didn't understand how two people as brilliant as them could be such idiots. Urahara had shrugged it off. People had been calling him an idiot a hell of a lot longer than they had been calling him anything else. Though now faced with Yoruichi again he couldn't help but think that once again Tessai might have been right.

If there was one thing Urahara truly hated in the world, it was when Tessai was right.

Before he could truly fathom what he was doing he did the last thing either of them expected.

He smiled.

Yoruichi's gold eyes widened. When she tracked him down to wherever the hell they were she hadn't expected him to smile at her. She expected him to show that anger he so rarely displayed. Maybe not be hurt or upset but definitely angry with her. After all she had run away from, well, from everything. Her feelings, his feelings, the life they were slowly putting together. Goddess of the Flash, ha! She should be Goddess of the cowards for what she had done. But there he was standing on the other side of the bridge across some invisible line she had drawn between them wearing a green coat dusted with snow and he was _smiling_ at her.

Suddenly she was torn.

Part of her wanted to run away again. It was telling her this was a mistake, she left him and she should just stay away before it got her into heaps of trouble again. She was a warrior, the Head of a Clan. Her parents, her tutors, everyone had told her that her willingness to open her heart others was a liability. In politics, in life, in everything. Especially opening her heart to someone like Kisuke Urahara, someone who went against everything her world was supposed to be. They had been right, it had cost her everything. Her and the Clan and the Second Division--all of it was gone because when he had been arrested, when the possibility of loosing him forever had come up, she had heard her heart break at the prospect alone.

But part of her wanted to run to him. In truth she was afraid of loving him as much as she did. She had fled after everything because the thought of what she had done for him scared her. She knew he was alive and well and for her that was enough--or it had been. It had been until the loneliness sent aches down her spine and she had returned to Japan to seek him out. She found Tessai with no problem. He told her Urahara had left, muttering something about being unable to stay any longer. Then he called her an idiot. And so she had searched Urahara out. It had never been hard to find him before but this time it was. That was more frightening than anything else. She told herself that she hadn't wanted to see him before but when she couldn't find him all she could think was that he didn't want to see her.

But there he was, smiling at her from across some invisible divide. Snow was falling around them both. All around them were happy couples and families and all she could do was stand there, unsure if she was part of one or alone in the world. His smile didn't set butterflies off in her stomach, instead it made her feel--it made her feel warm.

Somehow they crossed the distance, arms going around each other as they held onto the other tightly. Green and orange, purple and blond, it all mingled together with the white of the snow. He was taller and broader, she was curvier and her hair was longer, they had both stopped being constant fighters and it showed. She didn't care, he didn't care either as they stood with their bodies pressed tightly together.

"Tessai was right," she muttered into the fabric of his shoulder.

"I hate it when that happens," he said. She tightened her arms around him, aware of just how long it had been since she heard him speak, "hey, Yoruichi," he looked at her.

"Mm?" she looked up at him.

"Merry Christmas."

Yoruichi smiled.

"Merry Christmas, Kisuke," she said.

Back under the tree the artist flipped to a new page in his sketchbook and began to draw the couple kissing on the bridge.

* * *

**Okay so maybe Urahara and Yoruichi don't celebrate christmas but whatever. **

**Happy Holidays to all!**

**This one's on hiatus now as well!**


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